North Shore Correctional Officer Accused of Sexual Battery

A Tangipahoa Parish correctional officer, Gerad Yates (42) of Mandeville, was arrested Monday (June 18, 2018) on accusations that he "inappropriately touched" a Mandeville area woman and then exposed himself after the woman escaped his grasp, according to authorities.
Yates resigned his position with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office amid an investigation into the attack, which occurred last Tuesday (June 11, 2018). A woman told deputies that she was working in her yard and that day when a man stopped, they spoke, went inside the garage, where she says Yates inappropriately touched her beneath her clothing while making lewd comments
The woman reportededly demanded Yates stop and leave but he disregarded her commands and grabbed her arm in an effort to prevent her from exiting the garage. Further, when the woman broke free, she saw Yates with his pants down around his ankles, exposing himself. Yates reportedly left when a family member arrived.
Yates was arrested by detectives with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, with which Yates was previously employed. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a court security officer and criminal patrol deputy. He was reportedlyfired from the St. Tammany sheriff's office for violating departmental policy.